Rail-joint.



PATENTED N OV. 13, 1906.

N. DURAND.

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RAIL JOINT.

ATION H BD JUNE ao, 1606.

UNITED sTATEs PATENT OFFIOE.

NORBERT DURAND, OF AMERY, IISOONSIN, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO JOSEPH CARPENTER AND E. P. EKEGREN, OF AMERY, WISCONSIN.

RAIL-JOINT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 13, 1906.

Application filed June 30,1906. Serial No. 324.202.

To all wiz/0m, it may concern:

Be it known that I, NORBERT DURAND, a citizen of the United States, residing at Amery, in the county of Polk and State of l/Visconsin, have invented a new and useful Rail-Joint, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to improvements in rail-joints.

The object of the present invention is to improve the construction of rail-joints and to provide a simple, inexpensive, and efhcient construction adapted to increase the strength of the rails and capable of securely interlocking the same, whereby when rails are spiked to the cross-ties they will be firmly coupled and effectually prevented from twisting or otherwise becoming displaced.

A further object of the invention is to provide a rail-joint of this character adapted to lessen the cost of rail-joints and at the same time effect a material saving of labor in the coupling of the rails by providing a rail-joint which will dispense with fish-plates, bolts, and bolt-openings.

Another object of the invention is to provide a rail-joint which must be raised to uncouple the rails and which will be capable of use on switches, side tracks, and also in connection with an ordinary rail.

lVith these and other objects in view the inventon consists in the construction and novel combination of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, andpointed out in the claims hereto appended, it being understood that various changes in the form, proportion, size, and minor details of construction, within the scop of the claims, may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a rail-joint constructed in accordance with this invention. Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view of the railjoint. Fig. 4 is a plan view of one of the rails, illustrating the construction of the jaws. Fig. 5 is an end view of the same.

Like numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawings.

1 designates a rail provided at opposite sides of its web 2 with integral jaws 3, which project beyond the end faces of the head 4, web 2, and bottom flanges 5 of the rail 1 to embrace the contiguous end of a rail 6. The end faces of the head, web, and bottom flanges of the rail 1 are arranged in the same vertical plane to fit against the straight end face 7 of the rail 2.

The jaws 3, which have slightly-rounded end faces 8, are spaced apart to receive the web 9 of the rail 6, and the upper faces 9a of the jaws 3 extend upwardly and downwardly and are rounded to conform to the configuration of the lower faces of the head 10 of the rail 6. The lower faces 11 of the jaws 3 eX- tend downwardly and outwardly and fit against the upper faces of the bottom flanges 12. The rails are provided at opposite sides with concavely-curved faces, and the jaws present conveXly-curved inner faces, which conform to the configuration of the concave faces of the contiguous rail. By this construction the engaged end of the rail 6 is securely interlocked with the projecting jaws of the rail 1, and when the rails are spiked to the cross-ties they will be eifectually prevented from twisting or otherwise becoming displaced. The inner faces of the jaws do not t tightly against the side faces of the contiguous rail, and the slight space will enable the ends of the rails, when lifted vertically, to be readily disengaged from each other. The slight rounding or beveling of the jaws at the outer faces 8 form slightly tapered or rounded portions 8L at the top and bottom of the jaws, as clearly shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings. The rounded top and bottom edges 8t facilitate the engagement and disengagement of the jaws and the contiguousrail by an upward and The jaws will not interfere with the creepor expansion and contraction of the rails due to changes in temperature.

The rail 1 is thickened at 13 adjacent to the jaws 3, and its strength is thereby materially increased. In practice the rails will be constructed with one end straight and with the jaws 3 at the other end, so that the rails when laid will interlock one with the other. The rail-joint is adapted to dispense with fish-plates, bolts, and bolt-openings, and it is I adapted for use in connection with an ordinary rail and may be employed on switches,

downward movement of the rails.

IOO

side tracks, and the like with the same facility as in an ordinary rail. The rails will not l require bracing, and as it is necessary to raise the interlocked ends to uncouple them it will be apparent that they will not become accidentally uncoupled while the spikes are intact.

Having thus fully described 'my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a rail-joint, a rail provided at opposite sides of its web with integral horizont allydisposed jaws projecting longitudinally of the rail beyond the end of the latter, the end faces of the head, web and bottom flanges of the rail being arranged in the same vertical plane to fit against the straight end of a con- 'Y tiguous rail, and the said jaws being provided with inner faces to fit and embrace the web of a rail and having upper and lower faces to fit under the head and upon the bottom flanges of such rail.

2. A rail provided at opposite sides of its web with integral jaws which are spaced apart to receive between them the web of an adjacent rail, said jaws being shaped on their inner faces to accord with the shape of such web, the end of the rail on which said jaws are located having its web, head and bottom flanges in the same vertical plane to fit against the corresponding straight end of a contiguous rail.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own l have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses,

NORBERT DURAND. 

